A rather momentous event passed virtually unnoticed last month when, after years of domination, Internet Explorer was finally deposed as number 1 browser. No other browser has gotten anywhere near Internet Explorer in terms of market share until relatively recently but Google Chrome has now managed to topple the giant:
It’s a slim margin but, a win is a win. I’m guessing that the turnaround can be attributed, at least in part, to Microsoft’s decision to introduce its new Edge browser with Windows 10 and, at the same time, make Internet Explorer a far less obvious option. It’s always been the general consensus that Internet Explorer’s dominating market share has been largely because it was… well… just there. Now that is no longer the case, and with Edge not proving to be quite the hit that Microsoft had hoped for, it seems the tide has finally turned.
Firefox Slowly but Surely Heading to a Single Digit
It appears that another momentous occasion is also on the horizon as the once popular Firefox continues its downward spiral, now sitting at just a tad over 10% and inexorably heading toward a disastrous single digit market share. It is certainly looking as though the battle of the browsers has finally been won and lost with Chrome the emerging victor.
NOTE: A number of alternative statistical services have reported Chrome as the number 1 browser for some time now but not NetMarketShare. For anyone who might be wondering; most of those in the know trust and quote the statistics provided by NetMarketShare above all others because it is the only service whose methodology includes unique visits only.
To help explain further; if the same user visits one or more of the monitored sites from within the same browser [say] 20 times during the given period, that is counted by alternative services as 20 hits for that browser. At NetMarketShare that same scenario would be counted as just one hit for that browser… as it rightly should be. This makes NetMarketShare’s statistics not only far more accurate but also less susceptible to scamming.
New Browser?
In my humble opinion, right now would be an opportune time for a brand new browser to enter the scene and take on the established browsers. Let’s face it, Internet Explorer has never been that popular, merely convenient. Edge is a virtual non-entity. Firefox is obviously struggling to retain relevancy, and Chrome… well Chrome is part of Google… right?
What do you think?
Chrome may be King but Firefox is still my go to browser.
Remember the expression “don’t believe everything you read”? Well, being told Chrome is on top, gives every reason to believe in Father Christmas, The Easter Bunny, and that sugar is good for you. Firefox rules, Mindblower!
Firefox..nothing else..!
Firefox for me.
I’ve tried them all and Firefox is still my favorite. I’ll remain a faithful user until it totally dies which I surely hope it doesn’t.
I like Firefox because it has a feature when you are reading an article online it eliminates the ad from the article making it easier to read. I quit “chrome” because it became to hard to organize my favorites. Easy on Firefox.
I have to agree with the other posters — Firefox is my go-to browser. Plays well with Sandboxie and I love how I have it configured. I hope these statistics don’t result in eventual disregard or abandonment by the developers of what has been my favorite browser for many years.
FireFox for me. Downloaded Chrome last week, and really DON’T like it.
A “new kid” on the block?
VIVALDI
PS
I still use Firefox….love it
Firefox forever, Chrome sucks.
I too am a Firefox user. It seems form the comment section so far Firefox is the clear winner. I also have Chrome which I use for one particular task….but I really hate it otherwise.
We always knew that DCT readers were among the smartest. 🙂
I tried Chrome a couple years ago and always had problems with it crashing. In addition, I don’t google because they are too much into your privacy.
Jim, how much of Chrome’s rise to the top is due to it being the default browser on hundreds of million Android phones and tablets around the world? Just as IE once dominated because it was “just there” on Windows, Chrome is just there on Android.
As with the other commenters, I too am a long-time Firefox user.
Zeos, these statistics relate to DESKTOP browsers only. The statistics for Mobile browser market share are maintained completely separately.
I’m free as a fox again. Was using IE and Chrome in win 7 mainly for perceived security but became totally fed up with MS over Win 10 with my metered data. Put in another HDD and loaded PClinuxOS and here I am posting this via Firefox which I always liked. What a way to celebrate my 81st in a few days!
I never trust statistics. Much too easy to manipulate.
So what does NetMarketShare have to say about Windows 10 usage?
Windows 10 market share: https://davescomputertips.com/microsoft-confirms-free-windows-10-upgrade-to-cease-29th-july/
I use Firefox at work and like it a lot. But at home I use IE because Firefox gives me problems with the videos I watch and also some a Facebook game that I am addicted to. I have used Chrome in the past but the whole Google thing just turns me off.